Nine drown in Ganga

At least nine persons were drowned in Ganga on Sunday when a group of locals from Fatuha in Patna district went to Raghopur (in Vaishali) to take a holy dip. The locals had boarded a boat to cross over the Ganga.

In a related incident, three persons were drowned in Bagmati river at Samastipur when the boat carrying 30 passengers capsized midway.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who expressed grief over the two tragedies, has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the family of those who died.